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Folks like in the Charleston, SC peninsula or West Ashley section can't get adjacent markets except WJWJ 16 (SCETV/PBS) from Beaufort, SC (part of the Savannah, GA DMA). Is that unlucky?

In Charlotte, it's tough even to get all the channels in the local market. Here in the Lake Norman area, it's tough to get UNC-tv, SCETV, and forget WKHY. The rest are not so bad though I think that you need an outdoor antenna to pick them up reliably.

Interesting about Charleston. That market is easy to pick up from Myrtle Beach and you can get Wilmington/Fayetteville from there too. Plus of course the local channels in MB/Florence.

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Yeah the current TV business is protected by nonsensical laws that prevent competition and choice to protect corporate bottom lines. It won't last. This sort of thing never does. People always find a way around it.

I do think the NAB is pretty short sighted along with some of the corporations that own TV stations. They are so focused on carriage fees, they have completely lost sight of their inherent advantage of broadcast bandwidth. They ought to be pushing people to antennas while they still can.

In simple terms, It's highly unlikely (especially now) for a myriad of reasons that would ever happen. The difficulty of even trying to get such a change approved in the current regulatory environment would preclude it, RF concerns, technical concerns, costs, etc..It just won't happen.

Bob

The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, MeTv, or AntennaTv; my employer; or its parent company.
Nor my wife for that matter!

In Charlotte, it's tough even to get all the channels in the local market. Here in the Lake Norman area, it's tough to get UNC-tv, SCETV, and forget WKHY. The rest are not so bad though I think that you need an outdoor antenna to pick them up reliably.

Interesting about Charleston. That market is easy to pick up from Myrtle Beach and you can get Wilmington/Fayetteville from there too. Plus of course the local channels in MB/Florence.

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Yeah the current TV business is protected by nonsensical laws that prevent competition and choice to protect corporate bottom lines. It won't last. This sort of thing never does. People always find a way around it.

I do think the NAB is pretty short sighted along with some of the corporations that own TV stations. They are so focused on carriage fees, they have completely lost sight of their inherent advantage of broadcast bandwidth. They ought to be pushing people to antennas while they still can.

I don't know what that is supposed to mean. They are simply looking out for the interests of their members like any group such as this.

With that said, this particular effort probably won't produce much in the way of results. The importance OTA TV isn't on the radar of most people. The TV stations have no one but themselves to blame for this. If they want this issue to go away, then they need a plan to increase OTA viewership beyond the small minority who have cut the cord. Else it matters little to people who get content through cable or broadband.

A good percentage of people cutting the cord don't put up antennas simply because they don't know it's possible or they are not interested in the limited real content on these (main) stations. If Obama and his ex CATV lobbyist head of the FCC wants to repack the spectrum, then I don't see much standing in its way.

I don't see this changing. Some stations in CLT, such as WCNC, never ever even mention their broadcast channel number. Others, such as WMYT use their cable TV channel number. None of them actively mention how easy it is to receive their programming via free antenna. They have a long way to go.

Just saw promo. Raycom is now negotiating in good faith with DirecTV for continued carriage of WBTV. Here we go again. Be sure you have your antenna as a back up. As last year, both WBTV and WSPA were temporarily dropped by Dish Network, I believe. Fortunately, I get a strong OTA signal from both CBS affiliates, so I am not worried about whatever the pay providers may be doing.

The contract between WBTV and DirecTV doesn't actually run out until December 31, so they're just turning up the heat it looks like.

Wow. "The Enemy Below" in full 16:9 aspect ratio looks quite good on Movies!. They are setting a new standard for these subchannel stations. Certainly far better than THIS, getTV, MeTV & Antenna. They don't edit the movies for commercials or playing length either.

Wow. "The Enemy Below" in full 16:9 aspect ratio looks quite good on Movies!. They are setting a new standard for these subchannel stations. Certainly far better than THIS, getTV, MeTV & Antenna. They don't edit the movies for commercials or playing length either.

Below is an e-mail reply that I received yesterday from the manager of engineering at WJZY. I have been pushing him (ever so gently) via e-mail to figure out why we have not been getting Movies! in full 16x9 widescreen on 46.2. The problem was finally fixed on Monday, so I replied to congratulate and thank him. Here is his reply to that note:

I had a fight with the equipment yesterday, I had to reload the original config file for the receiver… and the frame sync…all is good now…

Speaking of retransmission battles, we might all better make sure the antennas are tuned up. While doing some research it appears that nearly every station in the Greenville & Charlotte markets sees their contract with DirecTV (and many other providers in some cases) expire December 31st. From what I've seen listed only WCCB seems to have a long term deal.

Speaking of retransmission battles, we might all better make sure the antennas are tuned up.......

We cord cutters are already there. I've avoided sending DISH ~$3389.00 since I cut the cord in 2012. It really adds up.

DTV and the stations may have a public spat, call each other bad names, etc. Then when push comes to shove, they will kiss, make up, hop back into bed with each other and all is well.... for them. You on the other hand, will get another price increase.

Same here. I had Time Warner cable for 9 years, then DirecTV for 13 more. In early 2011 when my bill hit $80 a month, I said "Enough". When cable first came to my neighborhood in 1989, we got about 30 channels, paid about $25 per month, and watched four or five channels. Now you pay $80 a month for 200+ channels, and you still watch four or five channels. It's such a rip-off. But with digital television, and about 25 OTA channels in Charlotte, I have all the TV I want (especially since I devote 60-70 hours a week to work). I have a Channel Master OTA HD DVR, that works very well. I can rewind one hour of live TV, and record 30 hours of HD.

I had a fight with the equipment yesterday, I had to reload the original config file for the receiver… and the frame sync…all is good now…

Yes indeed. WJZY is always very responsive. I contacted them about this too. It's quite a contrast from the unhelpful response from some of the other stations concerning wrong aspect ratios. It's really good to see.

The picture is really quite stunning for a SD sub-channel. Fox is doing right by its viewers. CLT is lucky to be one of the few places to get it.

I have a Channel Master OTA HD DVR, that works very well. I can rewind one hour of live TV, and record 30 hours of HD.

I tried the Channel Master OTA DVR+ because you can easily convert its' recordings and burn them to Blu-Ray for posterity. The tuner is way too sensitive though, so I returned it. Others in threads on this forum have complained about the same thing.

My antenna is pointed at the main Charlotte antenna farm where WSOC, WCCB, and WAXN are located. Those channels came in fine, but WBTV and WJZY were constantly breaking up on it (even though both are fine on my TV, even through my DirecTV's AM21N... which is a finicky creature itself). Where I am you can pick up WBTV with a paperclip, so I knew it wasn't going to make the cut when it couldn't consistently record on it.

Wow. "The Enemy Below" in full 16:9 aspect ratio looks quite good on Movies!. They are setting a new standard for these subchannel stations. They don't edit the movies for commercials or playing length either.

I agree that 46.2's picture quality and 16:9 format are terrific for an SD sub-channel, and not editing movies for runtime is a huge plus. I recorded "The Enemy Below" (always liked that flick) with my CM-7000PAL. The movie started out in correct letter box format but I kept my fingers crossed. Sadly, Movies! chopped off the sides and expanded it to full screen 16:9 immediately after the title sequence. Another great wide screen film butchered, IMO.

My preference would be to transmit all movies in their native format (similar to what TCM has always done). Older 1.33:1 movies would be pillar boxed and 2.35:1 would be letter boxed. Only movies which were originally 16:9 format would fill a 16:9 TV screen. Then, viewers could simply zoom the image using their TV/DVR controls if they don't like black bars. Those of us who prefer to see the full movie image, as the directors intended, would be able to do so. But, I doubt that will ever be the majority opinion; takes an extra step to push a zoom button on the remote.

I don't know what that is supposed to mean. They are simply looking out for the interests of their members like any group such as this.

With that said, this particular effort probably won't produce much in the way of results. The importance OTA TV isn't on the radar of most people. The TV stations have no one but themselves to blame for this. If they want this issue to go away, then they need a plan to increase OTA viewership beyond the small minority who have cut the cord. Else it matters little to people who get content through cable or broadband.

A good percentage of people cutting the cord don't put up antennas simply because they don't know it's possible or they are not interested in the limited real content on these (main) stations. If Obama and his ex CATV lobbyist head of the FCC wants to repack the spectrum, then I don't see much standing in its way.

I don't see this changing. Some stations in CLT, such as WCNC, never ever even mention their broadcast channel number. Others, such as WMYT use their cable TV channel number. None of them actively mention how easy it is to receive their programming via free antenna. They have a long way to go.

I agree that 46.2's picture quality and 16:9 format are terrific for an SD sub-channel, and not editing movies for runtime is a huge plus. I recorded "The Enemy Below" (always liked that flick) with my CM-7000PAL. The movie started out in correct letter box format but I kept my fingers crossed. Sadly, Movies! chopped off the sides and expanded it to full screen 16:9 immediately after the title sequence. Another great wide screen film butchered, IMO.

My preference would be to transmit all movies in their native format (similar to what TCM has always done). Older 1.33:1 movies would be pillar boxed and 2.35:1 would be letter boxed. Only movies which were originally 16:9 format would fill a 16:9 TV screen. Then, viewers could simply zoom the image using their TV/DVR controls if they don't like black bars. Those of us who prefer to see the full movie image, as the directors intended, would be able to do so. But, I doubt that will ever be the majority opinion; takes an extra step to push a zoom button on the remote.

EXACTLY!! So many people watch distorted TV. So many broadcast it. Just do it right!!!!!!

Bob since your station is the flagship for the Panthers network, can you tell us who is producing the games this year? For all 19 previous seasons I know Jefferson-Pilot/Raycom Sports has produced the games... in the early years they owned the rights sold by the Panthers, then when Carolina took over their own TV they still produced the games under an agreement from the Panthers. With the new TWC deal will they be producing it this year, or still Raycom?

I agree that 46.2's picture quality and 16:9 format are terrific for an SD sub-channel, and not editing movies for runtime is a huge plus. I recorded "The Enemy Below" (always liked that flick) with my CM-7000PAL. The movie started out in correct letter box format but I kept my fingers crossed. Sadly, Movies! chopped off the sides and expanded it to full screen 16:9 immediately after the title sequence. Another great wide screen film butchered, IMO.

It's much better than cropped 4:3 or 16:9 squeezed down to 4:3 or 4:3 distorted out to 16:9 which is what all the other channels like this are doing. In any case, there was a movie on later that evening that was 1:33.1 but it's physically impossible to fit this on most current widescreen TVs. Of course this required the top & bottom bars which I'm not sure is preferable to that shown in the snap I added.

I wasn't disappointed at all considering what I was paying for it. It even beats a lot of DVDs out there.

Here is a single frame from the recorded OTA mpeg2. It's aspect ratio 1.777 or 16:9. I wish THIS, RetroTV, AntennaTV, getTV & Bounce handled it this way.

Same as in previous years, Raycom (old friends in the Jp Sports crew) in conjunction with the Panthers.

As far as UNCC goes, Games 1 and 5 are being produced by IMG/Sinclair Sports, all others by WCCB/ScherShot Productions.

Good to hear on the Panthers Network... as for UNCC, I'd seen that on the 49er Football Forums. All I can say is I hope their production values improve at Sinclair with this ASN venture they're starting. They do HS Football here in the upstate of S.C and it is the most abysmal picture quality I've ever seen. The local cable company's games look better. The WCCB football & basketball were great last year. It's great to see real LOCAL programming in sports, that is almost an extinct species now-a-days. ESPN, Fox or CBS own rights to everything it seems. Looking forward to seeing them again this year.

Just to state once more, WAXN-TV broadcast getTV as it is delivery to us. It comes to us as a 4x3, 480i feed. Contract states we MUST broadcast it that way. Same with ESCAPE TV, it will come to us as a 16x9, 1080i. We will D/C to 480i but will leave it 16x9. Please stop saying stations need to get it right. We ARE doing right by the contract we have with the provider. We are not allow to change content of delivery.

Ted Hand, CPBE. 8VSB, DRB, AMDI was there on July 23, 1996...First DTV broadcast in the US..WRAL-HD

Just to state once more, WAXN-TV broadcast getTV as it is delivery to us. It comes to us as a 4x3, 480i feed. Contract states we MUST broadcast it that way. Same with ESCAPE TV, it will come to us as a 16x9, 1080i. We will D/C to 480i but will leave it 16x9. Please stop saying stations need to get it right. We ARE doing right by the contract we have with the provider. We are not allow to change content of delivery.

Some need to keep in mind the fact that the majority of viewers of these subchannels aren't "purists" like us either... many are viewing on older 4:3 televisions with converter boxes. Most of the material on these sub-channels is naively 4:3 anyway. I see absolutely nothing wrong with continuing to broadcast it in 4:3. If you don't want it stretched, there is an Aspect button for that on your remote... If it is a movie you're watching and it is 4:3... sure it would be great if it were 16:9 but folks we're not watching HBO here... The bitrate on these subchannels is so low to protect the HD feeds (and in some cases as Theo and others have pointed out because of contractual agreements) I highly doubt we're creating an archival copy of something off of them. I'll wager most of the movies you see can be had for a few dollars used on eBay or Amazon if you want the "correct" AR... Take these sub-channels for what they are.. they're not going to change no matter how much we argue over it.

It's much better than cropped 4:3 or 16:9 squeezed down to 4:3 or 4:3 distorted out to 16:9 which is what all the other channels like this are doing.

Yep, I agree, 46.2's format is much better than the other local SD sub-channels' formats. Still, a widescreen movie loses almost 1/4 of it's picture area when cropped to fill a 16:9 screen. I'd prefer to view the full movie image in it's original 2.35:1 format, letter boxed on my 16:9 TV with black bars top and bottom. If eight girls are dancing on stage I'd rather see all eight, not just six!

Just a matter of personal preference. Even years ago on a analog TV I liked the way TCM would retain the original movie format in letter box (and on a 4:3 screen those were really thick black bars top and bottom).

I tried the Channel Master OTA DVR+ because you can easily convert its' recordings and burn them to Blu-Ray for posterity. The tuner is way too sensitive though, so I returned it. Others in threads on this forum have complained about the same thing.

My antenna is pointed at the main Charlotte antenna farm where WSOC, WCCB, and WAXN are located. Those channels came in fine, but WBTV and WJZY were constantly breaking up on it (even though both are fine on my TV, even through my DirecTV's AM21N... which is a finicky creature itself). Where I am you can pick up WBTV with a paperclip, so I knew it wasn't going to make the cut when it couldn't consistently record on it.

You may have gotten a bad one. The tuner on mine is the strongest in my fleet (I have six other flat panels, and four converters, all of which receive OTA TV). But I live (as the crow flies) 5-8 miles from the broadcast towers for 3, 36, 46, and 55. Since I have an HD antenna pointed right at them, I get close to 100% signal strength, and since the Mecklenburg station towers come in on the back of the antenna, they are strong as well. The antenna in my OTA DVR is the remnants of a 30+ year old analog antenna, that was only medium-sized when it was new. A 2003 ice storm brought it to the ground, and today the front 30% of the antenna is all that is left (the tines are all broken off the back, leaving the equivalent of a "stick" protruding toward to the back side). But that one is pointed toward Charlotte, and channels 9 and 18 are consistently right at 100% signal strength, and 42, 58 and 64 are regularly 60% or better. The "stick" coming off the back brings in 3, 36, 46, and 55, fairly well (but I can switch out the antenna plugs - I have three antennas on the roof, and three sets of indoor antennas - if needed). With the above Charlotte antenna connected, my OTA DVR pulls in Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, etc., providing me with an announcement that new channels have been added to the list. But then I have to delete them, because that far away, they will rarely get a picture. Sometimes I can get channel 22 (another CW affiliate) and channel 12 the NBC/MeTV affiliate from Winston Salem fairly well. But never, never, never can I get WSPA channel 7 from Spartanburg, or 4 /13 from Greenville/Asheville. Either the mountains or the Gaffney peach, just kill of those signals.

My HD antenna will regularly get channels 28.1 and 28.2 from Gastonia. I'll just bet the majority of the people on this forum didn't even know that station existed...

Take these sub-channels for what they are.. they're not going to change no matter how much we argue over it.

I hope you are wrong (but fear that you are right). I wish that 16:9 was universally adopted but, as in most things, industry often caters to the lowest common denominator, in this case obsolete analog TVs on converter boxes. So, 4:3 will live on...

480i doesn't bother me at all. I believe the 16x9 image on 46.2 looks great. I fully understand why they can't draw bandwidth away from their primary channel. As long as I see the wide screen image, I am happy to watch it in the standard resolution. In fact, a 480i limitation is all the more reason to show it in 16x9 - lower resolution will look better if we aren't stretching the image, since that limits color, clarity, etc.